Tomorrow evening, the Arsenal play the most northerly fixture in their illustrious history, cheered on by an intrepid band of travelling Gooners who follow them over land and sea (not forgetting Leicester). Good on you, fellas! I hope you remembered to pack gloves and thermals.
Bodø lies just north of the Arctic Circle (66.6°N) at 67°16′57.72″N (thanks again, bt8), and sits on a peninsula in the Norwegian Sea rendering it subject to strong winds from east and west. October is Bodø’s wettest month with an average of 5.4 inches of rain over 18 days. The October average temperatures are a high of 7.9°C and low of 3.9°C and the average date for the first overnight freeze is October 12. The Met Office forecast for kick-off time tomorrow is a cloudy evening after morning rain, a temperature of 8°C (feeling like 6°C), a south-westerly wind of 12mph gusting to 19 mph and 76% humidity. So, conditions should not be intolerable.
I suspect that the mere existence of a football team called Bodø/Glimt first struck your consciousness last season, as it did mine, when they trounced Moaninho’s Roma 6-1 in a European Conference League group game. Beyond that I knew nothing of their history and playing style until I read Dr F’s superbly researched preview to last week’s game at the Grove which I commend to you here:
Arctic Flash in North London Autumn
I will not go over that ground but only add that their home record in European ties is exemplary. Over the last three seasons, they have won all but one of their home games in the three current UEFA competitions. Their solitary home defeat came against Legia Warsaw in the 21-22 Champions League first qualifying round. Since then Bodø have won 14 consecutive home matches in UEFA competitions and while several were qualifying round ties against minnows (whom they often trounced) they included two wins against Roma and a win against Celtic (OK, OK! but not quite a minnow). Perhaps more discomfiting than the frigid air, the team will have to contend with an artificial pitch though I am sure that, with his usual attention to detail, Mikel Arteta will have prepared the team for that.
A quirky observation on Bodø is that their supporters, den Gule Horde (the Yellow Horde), have an unusual relationship with a toothbrush. The Horde bring a giant toothbrush to games (I didn’t spot one last week – did anyone?) though I suspect regulations in UK stadiums might have prevented them bringing it into the Grove. The club have adopted this symbol and visiting teams are presented with a yellow (normal sized) toothbrush by the Bodø/Glimt team captain. This tradition apparently springs from a toothbrush being used for many years to conduct fans singing at matches. Imagine someone trying to conduct the North Bank! If someone did have the temerity to attempt the role of North Bank conductor, what might s/he have at hand to use in lieu of a baton? Answers on a postcard, please.
Bodø looked distinctly second best in the first half of last week’s game despite several long spells of possession during which they moved the ball around quickly and accurately but failed to breach our stolid back line. Much to everyone’s surprise they dominated possession in the second half with their high press and smart movement of the ball. Indeed, they looked much more threatening and quite capable of pulling a goal back against a surprisingly tentative Arsenal. This prompted the addition of three A-teamers which wrested back a modicum of control and finally settled the match with our third goal. I suspect we are more likely to see second-half Bodø than first-half Bodø tomorrow night. I hope we see better quality from the Arsenal than we got in the early part of that second half.
The tremendous investment of energy the first team had to expend in beating Liverpool on Sunday means that rotation is again essential. Games are coming thick and fast and the first team will be called upon to put in another huge workload next Sunday against Dirty Leeds. Yet a balance must be kept. We will want to keep our winning run going and maintain the momentum and mind-set that consecutive wins generate. We cannot simply throw in the kids! So, I expect the starting XI to feature some of the first team as did last week’s team.
Turner will clearly replace Ramsdale. Cedric was warming up on the touchline on Sunday so I expect him to start and bring his experience to the backline and right flank though he is now clearly third choice at RB. Holding will clearly return at CB but on this occasion, I expect him to be partnered by Saliba as Gabriel has played every game thus far and looks in need of a break. However, either Tomiyasu or White could be alternative partners for Holding. White strikes me as the least likely given the exhausting shifts he has put in at RB of late. At LB we have several options. Although Tomi was outstanding against the Dippers and had an excellent 20 minute cameo at LB against Bodø last week, I expect Mikel to begin with KT3 who is still working his way back to full match sharpness but is also acclimatised to frigid air. I don’t know if Zinchenko is fit again yet but I suspect this is too soon for him.
In midfield, I think Xhaka, who has also played in every game thus far, also needs a rest and we will probably see Ødegaard make a hero’s return to home soil from the start, alongside Sambi-Lokonga and Vieira. If Partey is fully fighting fit, we might see him on the bench but with his recurring muscle issues and the predicted ambient temperature I don’t think that he will feature at all. If midfield reinforcement or replacement is required I think Mr Reliable (GX) will again be called upon. Up front, I would rest Martinelli whose stellar performance on Sunday has earned him a seat on a sofa in a warm room with a nice glass of warming Shiraz or even a hot chocolate laced with rum at hand (if he wants to nip down to Bath for an evening, he is very welcome). Nor would I start any of Sunday’s front three. I would commence the game with a callow but dynamic and hungry front three of Eddie, Marquinos and Nelson with Jesus and Saka at hand on the bench should more experience be required. I don’t know who is better suited to play on the left, but Mikel will. Hence my team is:
Turner
Cedric, Saliba, Holding, Tierney
Ødegaard, Lokonga, Vieira
Marquinos, Nketiah, Nelson
What of the Holic pound, you ask? A draw is available at 18/5 and an Arsenal win at an optimistic and ungenerous 2/5. The smart call looks like a 3-1 win to the Gunners at 9/1.
Let’s do this!
COYG!
“tight and excellent”, bodo said, with a glimpt in his eye. i think you have the team nailed on, bath, and i’d be happy without a loss. COYG!
Mild conditions so…2-0 to the Arsenal.
Cheers bath! Wouldn’t hazard a line-up, so yours does not sound silly at all.
Not sure Saliba will start, but that’s based on not much at all. I was thinking Tomi might play there, which is among the options you suggest too. We shall see.
Main point is three points (one’s not so bad) and importantly no injuries.
Excellent preview Bath, and impeccably researched as always. Your source for the weather forecast is a bit more optimistic than mine about the rain holding off. My hour by hour forecast says Bodo will have had 23 straight hours at kickoff with rain being a 60% probability or higher during that entire period. The hourly forecast I saw inconveniently cuts off at 7pm, but combined with those easterlies and westerlies sweeping across the peninsula that you mention, the wet pitch may make for a nasty cocktail so a 0-0 without injuries would be far from the worst result we could anticipate.
They may dazzle against Liverpool at home, but are they up for a wet Thursday night in Bodo?
Nice preview Bath.
Grand preview. Tomi-san for Saliba for me.
Cheers Baff!
Thanks Bath, a fine preview of a game that we just need to get done.
Side looks about right, though I wouldn’t mind Matt Smith getting some
minutes.
Great preview Bath.
I used to make a habit of flying off from Stansted on business at the same time as Gooners were off around Europe and envied them enormously but I don’t envy the people going to Glimt tomorrow.
My team would be
Turner
Cedric. Holding Tomi Tierney
Sambi Smith
Vieira
Marquinhos. Nketiah Nelson
Jesus hasn’t travelled but we might see White , Saliba , Ramsdale , Hein, Xhaka ❤️, Odegaard , Saka and Martinelli on the bench with a couple of young tyros . I’m told Smith is playing very well for the reserves and he deserves a chance .
Arsenal to win 2-1 .
Excellent preview Bath! And thanks for the link to the previous round’s preview. 🙂
More than the weather conditions it’s the artificial pitch that is likelier to cause us problems, and there could be considerable in-game adjustments needed. That’s one reason I feel we might see Xhaka start. My guess is that the starting eleven would be same as the last Thursday’s with Cedric in place for Tomiyasu and Nelson in place for Martinelli as the only changes.
Difficult though it would be I do expect we will manage to continue our winning run.
Come on Arsenal!
Thanks fellas.
I omitted to emphasise that tonight’s kick off is at 5.45pm (4.45 GMT). Nota bene.
Excellent work, Bath !
Your team makes perfect sense – as does BtM’s inclusion of Tomi at CB in place of Saliba.
There must be scope to misspell Saliba as Saliva given all the yellow toothbrushes around.
I don’t honestly know anything about Smith but if he is deserving a chance, I think it will be off the bench rather than as a starter, purely really because that is the way these things usually happen.
Is it predictable that the crowd would be conducted with a toothbrush up near the molar ice cap ? They’ll no doubt be bristling to create an atmosphere tonight although, ultimately, it should prove a bridge too far for them. Instead of a toothbrush it would be nice if they could present us with a nice plaque.
I’ll get my coat – sounds like I’m going to need it with the mercury dropping to 3°C.
Trev: 👏👏
Trev @13. 🤣🤣😂🤣
Especially Trev @12 🤣🤣😂🤣
Despite Dr. Faustus prediction of the Glimpters having the artificial pitch advantage there is this from Richard Sutcliffe in The Athletic: “The problem Bodo/Glimt will have is that Martin is the No 1 player in the world on artificial grass,” David Nielsen, a former forward with Norwich City and Wimbledon in the early 2000s, tells The Athletic.
“Normally, when teams like Arsenal come, they find it hard because to them artificial grass is not real football. Some players shine but many others do not. Martin knows the surface. He has played on it so much and his passing is unbelievable.”
Delightful preview, Bath. I recall baseball games in Japan where each section of the crowd had a leader who would stand with their back to the field and orchestrate the singing. I think they used just hands and a loud hailer. No toothbrushes.
Matt Smith, Khayon Edwards, Catalin Cirjan and Bradley Ibrahim from the Academy are all reportedly in the squad that travelled to Norway. Jesus has not travelled. He and Zinchenko both missed training sessions this week.
Trev@12: You are the Crown Prince of Puns.
Haha, Trev, superb punnage. Let’s hope the team has enough bite tonight too.
Well, Ollie, it’s up to the manager to implant his knowledge in all those new youngsters – as long as their amalgamation with the older ones is sound , they should make a good impression.
Ok, I’m out !
😀
Turner
White Saliba Holding KT
Odegaard Sambi Vieira
Saka Nketiah Nelson
Good preview Baff, and an excellent contribution from Trev above.
I think it would be a mistake for us to assume that Glimt will simply be filling in the numbers this evening, and should brace ourselves for a real match. For us to come out as the upper set, we must ensure that we approach the gum with X-ray focus oral might go pear-shaped.
I’ve had a quick check up and can find no dental pun unmade.
COYG
Ah there you are wrong Pangloss. If you’d cairies to check the cavity there’s a cornucopia of pearlies with which to pun.
Stronger defence than I would have expected. Arteta is clearly looking to avoid shocks. B/G would leapfrog us if they win.
Bench: Ramsdale, Hein, Tomiyasu, Cedric, Ibrahim, Gabriel, Thomas, M. Smith, Xhaka, Marquinhos, Martinelli, Edwards
I would expect one of Smith or Ibrahim to come on for MØ8. We might also get a sight of the highly-rated Khayon Edwards.
Drilled it, Bath.
Thanks, Bath. Excellent preview and a bow for Trev@ 12. Pun in! 🤣🤣🤣
This plastic pitch could hurt any team that not used to it. So I hope we could and will avoid any embarassment and injuries.
COYG
A competent first half. We hould have scored at least one more. Now we need to build on that goal in the second half rather than drop off. Another goal for us will kill this game.
A napworthy game but good result. On to Leeds.
Saka on the cover of Time magazine.
UP THE ARSE!
Wot Esso said.
COYG
A win is a win is a win.
I’m so deep.
Wot CER said. I’m similarly deep
BU.KA.YO.SA.KA
Truly a case of iambic hexameter. Or sexameter as some might stipulate.
One point which I noticed recently was tta5 two players we were strongly linked with – Neto of Wolves and Artur ( formerly of Barca and temporarily of Liverpool ) have both suffered serious injuries . Neto had a previous serious ankle injury and now has a similar problem. We dodged a bullet with both of them especially considering Wolves wanted £50 m for Neto. Sambi had a solid enough game yesterday to suggest he might be developing into a capable Partey deputy and I’m glad we didn’t recruit Artur Melo
TTG@37: I thought Sambi was one of our better players in Bodø. Playing once a week for a spell will be good for him. Turner, too, seems to be settling into the role. He is quite low-key, but did nothing wrong yesterday and got right what was asked of him. He needs to improve his kicking.
>>>>>>>